Room 439, Sunday 15th July - Ernie, Munz (and Emma) reporting...
After a few hours at the cast bar and 6 hours sleep we had a 9.30 breaky with the worst eggs ever - who ever thought runny whites were ok??!! EWWW!! The amazing swiss muesli always hits the spot though and fuels us for our scheduled day at the tattoo.
Next stop - training, but let's not forget the music machine - Erina!! Skirts on, laces pulled and everyone's ready for Colleen's call, "by the centre, quick march and out and 3,4..." a constructive training was had by all, positive vibes were flowing and hows about our waving, who would have thought that learning to wave to an audience could be so difficult and funny?!
After training we headed back the basilisk (our hotel) to pack and prepare for our double header shows, along with some waiata practice thrown in the mix "tero a-ho" is not correct Ernie!!
To be honest, not our best performances tonight - one may have been flat and the other may have suffered a few "hiccups" in the final third, but still appreciated by the crowd and cast.
Time for a late diner in full uniform - arrgh - not the best time to be eating spag boll!! Followed by official photos with the NZ Army Band.
A few tired giggles between Ern, Munz and Emma and now were signing off at 11.30pm for a much needed early night.. Woo hoo!!!
Our journey to the Basel Tattoo in Switzerland, 13th - 21st July 2012
Monday, July 16, 2012
Sunday, July 15, 2012
Saturday 14th July
After a good opening night performance we ventured to the Cast Bar to mingle, and just like Canada last year we rocked it in our tracksuits! It didn't take long but we soon took over the dance floor :-). The band was great and it was good to be able to relax and chat with the other cast members. Our curfew of 2.30am soon rolled round and we were off back to our hotel.
An early 8.30am breaky call had us looking like the walking dead. We were soon off to training only to find our training building was locked up tight so had to wait around for it to be opened.
Training was constructive covering the areas that went wrong on the previous nights performance. It was then time to head back for lunch only to find we had been locked inside the building!! A quick phone call to our liaison officer Angelo soon got it open... but that was not to be the end of it, after starting the walk back to our hotel we realised we were one girl short... yep Sara had been locked inside the building. So again we had to make the phone call to Angelo to open the doors up.
Lunch wasn't the best today so I think it was salad for most of us. We were then back to the hotel for a quick change before going back to the arena for Childrens Day. We had a ball baking in the sun while teaching kids how to march, signing flags and lots of photos.
Before we knew it it was time to head up to the dressing room to get ready for our next two performances. The second march was great filled with excitement and smiles.
It was then back to the hotel to change into mufti and back down to the Cast Bar for more dancing and mingling. The best part was the NZ Army Band were playing so once again we dominated that dance floor supporting a band from our country like little groupies!! Check out a video of them playing and a time lapse video of the whole show from one of the dress rehearsals!
By Michelle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZpqWYoUD7g&feature=youtube_gdata_player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZpqWYoUD7g&feature=youtube_gdata_player
After a good opening night performance we ventured to the Cast Bar to mingle, and just like Canada last year we rocked it in our tracksuits! It didn't take long but we soon took over the dance floor :-). The band was great and it was good to be able to relax and chat with the other cast members. Our curfew of 2.30am soon rolled round and we were off back to our hotel.
An early 8.30am breaky call had us looking like the walking dead. We were soon off to training only to find our training building was locked up tight so had to wait around for it to be opened.
Training was constructive covering the areas that went wrong on the previous nights performance. It was then time to head back for lunch only to find we had been locked inside the building!! A quick phone call to our liaison officer Angelo soon got it open... but that was not to be the end of it, after starting the walk back to our hotel we realised we were one girl short... yep Sara had been locked inside the building. So again we had to make the phone call to Angelo to open the doors up.
Lunch wasn't the best today so I think it was salad for most of us. We were then back to the hotel for a quick change before going back to the arena for Childrens Day. We had a ball baking in the sun while teaching kids how to march, signing flags and lots of photos.
Before we knew it it was time to head up to the dressing room to get ready for our next two performances. The second march was great filled with excitement and smiles.
It was then back to the hotel to change into mufti and back down to the Cast Bar for more dancing and mingling. The best part was the NZ Army Band were playing so once again we dominated that dance floor supporting a band from our country like little groupies!! Check out a video of them playing and a time lapse video of the whole show from one of the dress rehearsals!
By Michelle
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZpqWYoUD7g&feature=youtube_gdata_player
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VZpqWYoUD7g&feature=youtube_gdata_player
Friday, July 13, 2012
7.30am - Early start this morning from a late rehearsal last night...tired start to the day but on the plus side croissants for brekkie!
9am - 12.30pm Training!! Broke the display into three sections.
Part one - tears, frustration and finally correcting problems
Part two - on the rise. Q
Part three - Eekk!
Started off hairy but after crashing the backwards a few times we finally got there.
Lunch!!! Pasta, burgers, fries, salad annnnd icecream!!
1.30pm - 3.30pm - sent home to bed for a nap. Oh how we love napping!!
4pm - off to the arena to get prettified and dressed for our show. Bit of singing practice (wasn't the best but we're marchers not singers, give us a break!)
5.30pm - 7.30pm - last dress rehearsal completed. Pouring rain all night... running mascara, watery eyes, wet white uniforms (sorry Pauline). Best performance we've done so far though!
Dinner - pasta, burgers, fries, salad and chicken....again.
OPENING NIGHT!!!
9.30pm - 11.30pm
9.5/10 not too bad for first performance. Thank you to Patsy and Craig Sproull for being there to supporting us! Lots more room for improvement though!!
'The Cast Bar'
Midnight till late (nek minnit curfew at 2.30am) dancing, socialising and a little drinking...lots of fun. Time for sleep as training is at 9.30am tomorrow!
Jacqui, Vanessa and Chelsea :)
9am - 12.30pm Training!! Broke the display into three sections.
Part one - tears, frustration and finally correcting problems
Part two - on the rise. Q
Part three - Eekk!
Started off hairy but after crashing the backwards a few times we finally got there.
Lunch!!! Pasta, burgers, fries, salad annnnd icecream!!
1.30pm - 3.30pm - sent home to bed for a nap. Oh how we love napping!!
4pm - off to the arena to get prettified and dressed for our show. Bit of singing practice (wasn't the best but we're marchers not singers, give us a break!)
5.30pm - 7.30pm - last dress rehearsal completed. Pouring rain all night... running mascara, watery eyes, wet white uniforms (sorry Pauline). Best performance we've done so far though!
Dinner - pasta, burgers, fries, salad and chicken....again.
OPENING NIGHT!!!
9.30pm - 11.30pm
9.5/10 not too bad for first performance. Thank you to Patsy and Craig Sproull for being there to supporting us! Lots more room for improvement though!!
'The Cast Bar'
Midnight till late (nek minnit curfew at 2.30am) dancing, socialising and a little drinking...lots of fun. Time for sleep as training is at 9.30am tomorrow!
Jacqui, Vanessa and Chelsea :)
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Another day with the good old pair of boots, at this time of the trip my feet start to ache, swell and blisters start to appear. My trick to help manage pain is to put panty liners in my boots but take note - if you think this will make you realise your beautiful pedi feet your dreaming because at the moment my ankles are CANKLES!!!
We headed off to training and went back to the roots of marching. We did basic drills and I found that I was making it hard for myself and now I don't look like a complete beetroot! :) We also did the display without arms, just thinking about our feet and once we had the feet everything else came together - this will show all the awesome formations Colleen has designed!
Today for a change of scenery we went out for lunch at Feldschlosschen. I ordered the sausage salad with fries, the only thing that caught my eye was the fries! While waiting for my food a couple of us girls practiced singing a waiata, personally I think I have a fantastic voice, kidding!! I finally had my meal, the fries were awesome but my instincts told me otherwise on the sausage and after trying it my instincts were right!
Tonight we had our first dress rehearsal and getting into my Lochiel uniform always makes me so proud! Walking to the arena my palms started to sweat and I was so worried about my eye make up, I was trying so hard to keep my eyes open wide to the point that I was doing a pukana! I was getting more and more nervous closer to the time that we were due to march out. While waiting I was in my marching zone going through the counts in my head and boosting myself with positive thinking. We all marched out to the music of the previous act - "The Conscript Band of the Finnish Defence Forces" - and also in the dark but seeing the amazing crowd (about 8,500 people!) and their reaction to us gave me a boost to smile!
Our performance was our best so far but we know that we've got a lot of work to do if we're to get a 10 out of 10 from Colleen! And more hard work to get there starts at training tomorrow at 9am followed by the 2nd dress rehearsal and opening night at 9.30pm! After the show we even had some photos with some of the audience! I think that the best thing about going to tattoos is showing thousands of people what Lochiel can do!
By Char!!
Today for a change of scenery we went out for lunch at Feldschlosschen. I ordered the sausage salad with fries, the only thing that caught my eye was the fries! While waiting for my food a couple of us girls practiced singing a waiata, personally I think I have a fantastic voice, kidding!! I finally had my meal, the fries were awesome but my instincts told me otherwise on the sausage and after trying it my instincts were right!
Tonight we had our first dress rehearsal and getting into my Lochiel uniform always makes me so proud! Walking to the arena my palms started to sweat and I was so worried about my eye make up, I was trying so hard to keep my eyes open wide to the point that I was doing a pukana! I was getting more and more nervous closer to the time that we were due to march out. While waiting I was in my marching zone going through the counts in my head and boosting myself with positive thinking. We all marched out to the music of the previous act - "The Conscript Band of the Finnish Defence Forces" - and also in the dark but seeing the amazing crowd (about 8,500 people!) and their reaction to us gave me a boost to smile!
Our performance was our best so far but we know that we've got a lot of work to do if we're to get a 10 out of 10 from Colleen! And more hard work to get there starts at training tomorrow at 9am followed by the 2nd dress rehearsal and opening night at 9.30pm! After the show we even had some photos with some of the audience! I think that the best thing about going to tattoos is showing thousands of people what Lochiel can do!
By Char!!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
Day 1 & 2 in SWITZERLAND!!
This is my third trip with this team and yet again I cannot get enough of the excitement and atmosphere that each trip brings. The perforamance ground is phenomenal and Switzerland is a beautiful place. We have had a few rehearsals with the NZ Army Band which was cool. Can't wait for the Tattoo to begin!
Naku na,
Nani Louisa Kirk.
This is my third trip with this team and yet again I cannot get enough of the excitement and atmosphere that each trip brings. The perforamance ground is phenomenal and Switzerland is a beautiful place. We have had a few rehearsals with the NZ Army Band which was cool. Can't wait for the Tattoo to begin!
Naku na,
Nani Louisa Kirk.
Monday, July 9, 2012
A 4.30am wake up call signals the end of our two day Dubai adventure. We arrived Saturday morning at around 4am after a very long flight from Brisbane to find it was already 33degrees and probably about 90% humidity! After showers and a few hours of sleep we set about exploring the city, although only for a few hours as we were being picked up later in the afternoon to go on a desert safari. Starting with a few hours of nerve wracking driving/sliding over the sand dunes which were up to a height of 15 meters, stopping occasionally to spot the native wildlife, watch the sunset over the desert and a falcon show with a Peregrin Falcon we eventually stopped at camp for the evening. There we had camel rides, henna tattoos, a belly dancer and a dinner of amazing local food. The whole evening was amazing and definitely a highlight of our time here.
The next day we split off in groups exploring the markets/souks although at around 43degrees most of us eventually escaped to the air conditioned malls which include the biggest mall in the world with indoor waterfalls, ice rinks, aquariums and ski fields. Some of us even made it to the beach for a dip in the Persian Gulf.
Now we are heading back to the airport for a (quick) 7 hour flight to Switzerland. I can safety say that all of us have had an amazing time here in Dubai and leave for Switzerland rested, bonded as a team, slightly lighter in the wallet and ready to do what we came for at the Basel Tattoo.
Watch this space for photos later today!!!
Friday, July 6, 2012
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